Invicible Summer
by Marvy
Summary: A young woman ripped from the life she knew, forced to lead a country to absolution with a merry band of misfits against impossible odds. Female noble Warden WardenxGilmore, WardenxAlistair, WardenxNathaniel
1. Orchard

**Author's Note**: I'm at it again! I just wanted to write a one-shot but this wouldn't stop coming. Okay, so first off - I know Cailan and Anora were betrothed as children but it's relevant later. Creative license and all that. Haelia is mentioned as (according to the codex) the Bann that united the lords together under the Cousland banner to drive the werewolves out of their lands, resulting in Highever becoming a Teyrn. I also may have slipped up and referred to Oriana as Orlesian, but I think I caught those references. This won't go through all the gameplay, but it will touch here and there.

The title comes from this quote by Albert Camus: "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

**Disclaimer**: Not mine, Bioware owns it.

* * *

Haelia Cousland, named after a charismatic female ancestor, had never been a particularly violent young woman. She loved swordplay, certainly, but she had never killed a man until the Howe attack. She spent most of her time balancing herself between her mother's wants and her father's. She took riding lessons and dance lessons, practiced in the yard with her daggers, sat in on debates and conferences. When she wasn't being groomed, she took to the streets. She would spend time amongst those in Highever, doing what she could for her father's people. They never needed much, but someone always needed something.

When the rich families vying for her father's favors (or sometimes, just their friends) came to visit, Haelia would play her games. She began as a child, nicking bread and a coin or two when she could be sure she would not be caught. She then tried to convince the other children (and sometimes older individuals) of things that were outlandish but just believable enough.

Her (unwilling) partner in crime was one Ser Gilmore, a boy and then man that she grew to care for as she did herself. He was like another limb of her person; something that she had just accepted would always be there. She loved him in much the same way, though it was not until she was nearing seventeen that she actually came to realize it. There had been some talk when Haelia was too young to realize what marriage was when there were talks of a possible betrothal to Cailan, although they were short-lived as Loghain seemed determined to marry Cailin to Anora. The justification was, mostly, that Haelia was too young – she was, after all, almost a decade younger. Bryce was all too happy to end the discussions, while Eleanor was slightly disappointed – being the Queen would be no small success for her daughter. Bann Teagan was, at one point, brought up but she was again found to be too young, although these proposals came after puberty. So, for the most part, Haelia was left alone about her future husband for the majority of her youth.

When Bann Loren's wife and son came to visit, the discussion of her marriage was brought up once more. Eleanor and Landra made references (not too thinly veiled at that) about Dairren, the latter's son. Haelia's brother Fergus had been married for several years now and it was coming upon the time for the younger Cousland to do the same. Arl Howe, whom was visiting the same weekend before they took off to join the King's army, had also mentioned his son as a likelihood on more than one occasion. Thomas, she thought he had said. Thomas was a prig. Nathaniel – she had always liked him insomuch that he was patient while he tried to teach her with a bow when she was much younger and he rarely treated her like a child. But Howe didn't mention Nathaniel and she had no clue why.

All of the nuptial conversations had her running, despite her father's insistence that she go and find her brother. She wouldn't go right away; dinner had yet to happen, they could wait. Haelia disappeared into the orchard, over a hundred yards from the gates. Clamoring soundlessly into the same tree she had been climbing for years, Haelia curved her body into the nook that a branch created. She sighed heavily, holding her dress up around her knees so that there would be no sign of her from the ground.

Ser Gilmore, however, knew her far too well. Not ten minutes (because he had to keep far enough back as to not be seen, of course) after she found her beloved spot, the tall, sturdy frame of one her father's knights was haunting the ground below her. He clanked quietly from beneath her and Haelia stretched her head a little over her shoulder, careful not to lean too far.

"Roderick?"

"Yes, my lady?"

Haelia sighed and rolled her eyes, which Ser Gilmore knew but could not see, as she did nearly every time he addressed her so. Which he always did. "Why did you follow me?"

"Don't I always?"

Haelia snorted in an incredibly unladylike manner, something she would have never thought to do around her mother, before she moved in a way that would allow her to swing down from the branch she was on. She released her hands and, instead of ground beneath her soft shoes, warm hands caught her at the waist.

Slowly, Roderick lowered her to the ground. His gauntlets were there beside her feet, having been removed hastily as to catch her gently. Haelia looked up at him with the pale blue eyes she had inherited from her father and raised a sculpted black eyebrow, the color of her hair having been passed on from her paternal grandmother.

"Will you always?" She spoke quietly, her words refined from years of tutelage. A wisp of her dark hair broke free from the elaborate braid on the back of her head and Roderick's hand lifted a little. Instead of tucking the hair away, he removed both of his hands and clasped them behind his back.

"Of course, my lady."

Haelia frowned imperceptibly before she ducked down and gathered up the gauntlets that Ser Gilmore had tossed aside. When she stood again, the knight's dark green eyes were watching her. The wind ruffled his red hair gently and he did not bother to straighten it. Haelia offered her hands out to Ser Gilmore and from them he took his gauntlets, hooking them to his belt where they rested while they were unneeded.

"So, with so many guests today why have you taken to your tree?"

Haelia backed away a little and leaned her back against the tree she had previously sat in, knowing she would have to change before dinner but not caring. "No particular reason."

He gave her a long, knowing look and shook his head. "Both of us know that is not the truth, my lady."

The noble-born young woman crossed her arms defiantly over her chest and blew at the strand of hair she had yet to place behind her ear. "Of what concern is it to you, Ser Gilmore?"

"Ahh," he half-smiled and leaned against the tree across from hers. "Was it Dairren today?"

"And Thomas Howe. Next week, they will dredge up some relative of the King's or some long-lost cousin of my father's," Haelia groaned, letting herself drop to the ground at the bottom of the tree. Ser Gilmore moved from his spot and with little effort knelt beside her. Tilting her head back, she shifted her eyes from her hands to the face of the man at her side. "Sometimes I wish I had been born a milkmaid. At least then I would get to _choose_ the Blighted arse I'm to spend the rest of my days with."

"Certainly your parents allow you some discretion – your father has always been a kind, thoughtful man," Roderick spoke plainly, adjusting his sword at his side to keep it out of the dirt.

"Yes, perhaps – but if I say no to every proposal, eventually they won't have much of a choice."

He chuckled a little and shook his head, "Then why say no to every offer?"

Haelia turned her face back to look at Roderick and her expression was blank, her eyes slightly wider than normal. Slowly, the edge of her lip curved up. She lowered her head, looking away from him. Her fingers began to fidget in her lap. "...They are not exactly what I want." Her voice was quiet and finally she splayed her fingers out across the dress that covered her thighs. Inhaling deeply she gently slapped her legs and offered a smile to the man beside her.

Ser Gilmore stood and then offered an uncovered hand to the young woman, whom he helped to stand fluidly. Dusting herself off, she took the offered arm of the knight and let him lead her back to Castle Cousland.

"...You should wear the blue and silver dress, if I may be so bold, my lady," Ser Gilmore spoke as they neared the front gates, his head tilted as to speak quietly into her ear.

"So that I may impress the Grey Warden? I do not believe that being color-coordinated will help win me any favors," Haelia laughed quietly, leaning gently into him. "It is likely the one my mother had laid out for me at any rate; she prefers it as well, which means she believes that Dairren will as well."

Ser Gilmore swallowed tightly but cleared his throat, "Grey Warden? I had heard he was here but did not know to what end."

"He – Duncan, I believe – is looking for recruits. My mother would rather join herself than send me," she laughed again, more deeply at the concept of her mother in Warden armor. "My father believes he is here for you. I would say he would be hard-pressed to find a better candidate."

The knight's cheeks colored a little and he chuckled nervously, "Thank you, my lady. Can you imagine it? Me, as a Grey Warden."

She could. In fact, she had been all morning. Were he a Grey Warden and not her father's knight, he would be a member of the once-prestigious (and hopefully again soon to be) order and therefore an eligible catch for Haelia.

"It would be an honor," she smiled, gently removing her arm from around his as they reached her room. "Warden Gilmore, eh?" Lifting her hand, she turned her body away from him and opened her bedroom door. "I thank you for your escort, Ser Gilmore." She lowered herself in a curtsy close enough to the floor to be for a king. This did not escape the red-headed kight, whom blushed in response before he bowed at the waist.

"I will return before dinner, my lady."

After closing the door behind her, Haelia's face fell considerably and her shoulders drooped. With a heavy sigh, Haelia began undressing. A bath had already been drawn, the once-hot water now warm. She slid herself into the water and removed what dirt had clung to her skin during the day. Afterward, she applied the scented oils that her mother had placed in her rooms.

A knock sounded on her door and in entered a young woman, one of the ladies-in-waiting of the Cousland women. She curtseyed to Haelia and began to help her to dress before fixing her hair into an even more elaborate up-do. Light make-up in the form of lip stain and kohl for the eyes, things brought from Antiva via Haelia's sister-in-law Oriana, were applied. A necklace and earrings were hung upon her person, her family's signet ring place on her hand. Finally, Haelia was released.

Ser Gilmore stood outside of her bedroom, standing guard unnecessarily with his back to her door. Haelia cleared her throat, watching him curiously from her place directly in front of the still-open door.

When the knight turned, he was struck momentarily with a bought of apoplexy. Certainly he had seen her in such a state before. He could not truly put his finger on why he was so taken aback but that did not change the fact that he was. It took him a moment to find himself again and he shook his head as if trying to shake the daze he felt he was in before he offered her his arm.

"Good evening, my lady. You look well."

"I look ridiculous," she responded with a half-laugh. "I love Oriana but I do not understand how one could stand to wear this much of a statement every day. A simple dress is often too outlandish for me. Give me my leathers any day."

"A milk maid would still, most likely, have to wear a dress," he chuckled and covered her hand on his arm with his unthinkingly.

"Will you be joining us for dinner this evening, Ser Gilmore?"

"Yes, my lady. Your father invited me, I imagine due to the Grey Warden's visit."

"I would hope so!" Haelia nodded emphatically, "He will fall for your charms and steal you away before the morning sun."

"Do you wish me to leave so soon, my lady?" Ser Gilmore prodded, laughter in his voice at her suggestion.

"Never," Haelia murmured before she could stop herself. Her porcelain cheeks flared with color and she turned her face away from him, trying to hide her embarrassment. "...It would be difficult to find a replacement for you."

He turned his gaze to find hers but she still would not look at him. He did what he could to hide his smile as they approached the dining hall. Escorting her to her seat, the other men in the hall all stood.

"Good evening, pup. And you, Ser Gilmore." Teyrn Bryce Cousland addressed his daughter and her escort, nodding to the two. He was at the head of the table, his wife to his side. Fergus, her brother, was to the left with his wife and son beside him. Lady Landra took up Haelia's normal position beside Eleanor, Dairren beside his mother. Howe sat beside little Oren with an empty seat for Ser Gilmore beside him, Duncan the Grey Warden at the foot, and Haelia meant to sit beside Dairren. Across from Ser Gilmore.

Haelia curtseyed as Ser Gilmore pulled her seat out for her, at which point he bowed and then moved over to take his seat as the other men did so as well.

"Is it normal to invite your knights to your dinner table?" Dairren asked quietly to Haelia, leaning over a little too close.

Haelia cleared her throat and looked across the table to the man whom had already struck up a conversation with Duncan. "No, my lord. We do not often have the opportunity have a Grey Warden at our table, either." Haelia could feel Eleanor's gaze on her and she sighed internally. "Nor do we normally have such fine guests as yourself and your mother either."

Truth be told, Dairren was a handsome young man. He was perhaps four years older than she was, give or take a few months. He was the son of a lesser noble, Bann Loren – a decent man, by all counts. Dairren himself was the sort of man that would rather read about a battle than partake in one, though not entirely because he was a coward. Mostly because he did not much care for violence, something that Haelia could agree with. He was pleasant enough but awfully dull.

"...and you spar often with the young Lady Cousland, is that correct?" Duncan spoke from Haelia's side, his words directed at Ser Gilmore.

"Yes, though she prefers dual-wielding to a sword and shield. In fact, there were recently rats in the-"

"...orchard," Haelia interrupted, knowing that her mother would be incredibly frustrated by the suggestion that there were rats in the larder (which there had been) in front of guests, "...and Ser Gilmore took most of them out before I even had a chance to draw my weapons."

Ser Gilmore's cheeks flushed at the lie but he did not speak to correct it until Duncan, giving Haelia a look that said he was not fooled, smiled a little. "Is that so? Do you two have much experience fighting rats, then?"

"No, we tend to stick to the practice dummies. Mather – my mabari – found the rats and I was afraid there might be too many of them. We were taking a walk in the orchard when we came upon the scene," Haelia offered and could feel the eyes of her mother on her cheek again, knowing that she was paying too little attention to Dairren for the older Cousland's liking. Also, while her mother did not disapprove of the time that her daughter spent with the knight, she did not believe it was prudent to speak about it in front of a prospective match. For that was, of course, what Eleanor thought Dairren was.

"Do you walk often in the orchards?" Dairren asked as the first course was being served.

"Frequently, yes. I love the smell of apples and company is always appreciated. Occasionally we will bring Oren with us. Isn't that right, little one?" Haelia smiled lovingly at her nephew across the table. The boy was closer in age to her than her brother, whom was a decade her senior.

The little boy nodded vehemently. "Auntie Haelia and Ser Gilmore play hide-and-seek with me. Even Mather plays sometimes."

At the sound of his name a second time, Mather barked from behind Haelia's chair. She hadn't noticed him settle in behind her but she was not entirely surprised he had.

Dairren jumped a little – another strike. Not a dog person. Haelia chanced a glance across the table at Ser Gilmore, who seemed entirely unperturbed by Mather's announcement. Duncan, too, took little notice other than to smile slightly.

The dinner went smoothly, for the most part. Eleanor was pleased with the servants' performance as well as the cook's delicious meal. Duncan seemed interested in Gilmore, as Haelia thought he would be. Unfortunately, too, was that Dairren seemed interested in her.

* * *

Near the end of the meal, as dessert was being set down, Haelia jumped a little in her chair at the feel of a warm hand on her thigh. She knew exactly where the arm would lead and tried her best to gently remove the offending digits from her person. Ser Gilmore saw the interaction but remained quiet, though his cheeks reddened ever-so-slightly. Haelia cleared her throat and made to take up her fork. Dairren, nonplussed, leaned closer to her.

"...this evening, I would very much like to speak to you in the library."

Perhaps he was not as dull as Haelia had originally thought. However, the offer did not suit her very well. She knew that her mother would love the idea of a quiet rendez-vous (for conversation only, of course) between herself and Dairren but Haelia could not manage to bring herself to agree.

"I am quite sorry, my lord. I am afraid I must see my brother off this evening. Perhaps when you return we might be able to see each other again."

Dairren's face fell only minutely and he nodded his head. Obviously Haelia's intent to dissuade him did not sink in, which was beneficial because it meant that her mother probably had not noticed as well.

When the meal ended, Fergus begged a few moments with his wife and child before his sister came to see him off. She understood and so left the dining hall with Ser Gilmore, much as she had entered it.

"...Well, one party seems quite interested, my lady," Ser Gilmore spoke candidly when they were out of earshot of the remaining party. Mather walked beside his mistress and barked once in disapproval of the suggestion.

Haelia smiled weakly and leaned a little into her walking partner. "Fortunately I may yet be able to avoid his advances. When they return from the war I imagine I will be the last thing on his mind."

"Have you ever seen a man return from battle?" Ser Gilmore responded with a chuckle. "I would say that you will be the _only_ thing he thinks about. Especially in that dress."

Haelia's cheeks colored and she wished her hair was down so that she might be able to hide behind the curtain it created. Instead, she bowed her head a little and tried to hide the embarrassed smile that held her lips. "It is my belief that he will think on many a women similarly and that I am only special because I am present."

"He would be a fool to think so," Ser Gilmore spoke quickly, hurriedly adding a "my lady" at the end of the sentence to make it seem as though he were still her lesser and not an open companion.

* * *

The two took a turn about the castle while awaiting for time to elapse so that Haelia might visit her brother, speaking on the Grey Warden and what it could mean for Ser Gilmore. Eventually, he left her outside her brother's room – across the hall from her own – and Mather stood guard outside as she went in. Oriana and Oren were gone for the moment, which left only Haelia and her much-older brother standing beside the fireplace.

"Sister?" he called and she smiled as he did, crossing the floor to meet each other atop the Orlesian rug his mother had purchased as a wedding present years ago. They embraced each other tightly and Haelia's head rested against his shoulder. "I am glad you came."

"Did you think I wouldn't, Fergus?" she laughed a little, squeezing him tighter a moment. "I have only one brother to see off to battle. My biggest regret is that I am not to ride out with you."

"Someone has to stay behind and watch after the women," Fergus ribbed his sister and, as if she were still a child of six, she quite perfunctorily stuck her tongue out at him. "And, of course, Ser Gilmore."

Haelia had not been expecting the latter and she instinctively puled back a little, giving him a quizzical look.

"I am quite sure Ser Gilmore can look after himself. Moreover, he may be leaving with the Grey Warden. Duncan seemed quite fond of him."

"You and I both know that Duncan came for you," Fergus responded, his eyebrows raised a little in disbelief at his sister, who was adamantly shaking her head. Her brother only nodded, disagreeing. "Father would never have it. He suggested, instead, Ser Gilmore."

"_If_ – and I am not saying I believe you, Fergus – but if that is the case, he must never know."

"Oh, I believe he already does. Despite your aversion to inflicting violence on living things, everyone that has seen you train knows that you are a formidable woman."

Again, her cheeks flushed and Haelia shook her head. "It is child's play."

"If you thought as much you would not wish to ride out with us, I think."

Haelia frowned at her brother's truth and moved away from him far enough to lean against the hearth over the crackling fireplace. As she did so, Fergus spoke again.

"It appears Dairren is quite taken with you. I imagine Mother is ecstatic."

She frowned a little, not saying anything. Fergus laughed quietly, "I thought as much. He wouldn't be able to keep up with you at any rate, sister. It was kind of you to let him down early."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Fergus. I had to come see you off; you are far more important than he could ever be."

"Haelia," he clucked his tongue, shaking his head as he took up the other side of the hearth, "you needn't use me as an excuse. I know you well enough to know that there is another reason Mother is having a devil of a time finding you a betrothed."

"Oh? Would you care to enlighten me so that I might right this wrong done to our beloved mother?"

Fergus remained silent and instead gave his sister a look that spoke more than words could. Haelia's cheeks flared with color.

"It doesn't matter, Fergus."

"It matters as much as anything else might, Haelia. Certainly I was lucky beyond thought with Oriana but I cannot imagine a nobleman suiting you. Had you heard that Arl Eamon suggested Connor as a match for you most recently?"

Haelia's eyes widened and she felt bile rise in her throat. The boy was...well, a boy. "They may as well have suggested I marry Oren, Fergus."

"Father dismissed it out of hand, as graciously as he could. I imagine Eamon now hopes that Anora will birth a little girl and all will be well."

It was a belief of the youngest Cousland generation that every other noble family in the country had a particular desire for "bettering" their family line. Their mother and father had suggested several candidates for Fergus but ultimately allowed him the choice of bride and they had saved Haelia as well from a number of less than prudent options. The Couslands were content with their lot in life and attempted only to improve Highever, not their standing. Though many had believed that Bryce, their father, was a better candidate for king than Cailan (not that any spoke it aloud any longer) he had never seemed upset that he had not been offered the crown. They were happy in Highever.

Haelia shook her head again and crossed the space between them to hug her brother again. "Perhaps when you and Father return I will be able to find a suitable match. For now, let us speak no more of weddings and silly things."

It was then that Oriana and Oren returned, with the Teyrn and Teyrna in tow.

The small family had a rather strained evening, with Fergus and Haelia attempting to lighten the mood and their father Bryce helping when he could. They spent over an hour with the roaring fire, saying their goodbyes. Fergus had to set out and wished one more moment alone with his wife and son, so the other three left them to it.


	2. An End

**Author's Note**: Hi, kids. Got another one up today. It's a little choppy at first because... well, because it is. Thanks to LifeandFire25 for the review. I hope you all are enjoying this. I expect the next chapter should be up by the weekend or shortly after.

* * *

Haelia had it in her mind to go to bed but found that it was impossible for her to sleep. After seeing Fergus and the other men off, she wandered to the chapel to speak with Mallol. The woman was between her mother's age and her brother's, somewhere after thirty four years or so. She was a lovely, kind woman that had taken to Haelia the moment she had arrived in Highever.

With a heavy sigh, Haelia settled herself on her knees in front of the pillar at the head of the room. A statue of Andraste stood a few feet off but Haelia kept her faith reserved for the Maker, only occasionally referring to Andraste for guidance. After a few moments, Haelia lifted her head and found that Mallol had knelt beside her. Eventually the older woman raised her gaze as well and turned to look at the girl with a smile.

"Good evening, my lady. Have you come for a blessing or to pray for Fergus' safe return?"

Haelia felt a twinge of shame at the Mother's question. Certainly, Haelia had come to pray for her brother but he had not been the first name from her lips. Instead of denying the suggestion, Haelia merely nodded. Mallol stood and placed her hand on the girl's dark-haired head, offering words of comfort and a blessing. Several minutes later, feeling hardly any better, Haelia exited the chantry with a smile and a hug for the Mother before returning to her room. Mather waited impatiently outside her door, more than ready for bed.

Glancing across the hall at the door to the room that her brother shared with his small family, Haelia nodded to Mather. "Go sleep with Oren tonight, love. I imagine he and Oriana could use the company."

Mather's ears set back against his head and he bowed his head – if a dog could frown, he would have been.

Haelia bent at the knees and petted his head lightly, "I promise, I'm not mad at you. I'm just worried about them. I promise you can come back to bed with me tomorrow night."

With a snort of air through his nostrils, Mather turned around and waddled over to the other door before promptly sitting down. He let out a quiet whine and the door opened a moment later, Oren looking around for the source of the noise. When he saw the dog, he looked across to his aunt and grinned, tugging Mather into the room before closing the door. Haelia smiled to herself and disappeared into her own bedroom.

* * *

Haelia had always been a light sleeper so it was unsurprising that she woke in the dead of night to noises in the hall. Slightly groggy, she rubbed her eyes before touching her feet to the cold stone floor. Her nightgown swished soundlessly about her ankles as she stepped towards her door, pressing her ear to the wood.

The sounds made no sense. With a frown, she turned the handle on her door and opened it just a crack.

The scene in the hall had her eyes widening and her breath catching. Bodies. Three Highever guards on the ground, one of Howe's men – and four of the latter still standing. Heading to Oriana's room.

Closing the door as quickly and quietly as she could, Haelia put her leathers on faster than she ever had before. A bow and arrows at her back, daggers in her hands, she opened the door to her room and quietly as she could manage.

Directly in front of her stood one of Howe's men, his back to her. He was aiming an arrow at Mather, who had broken free from the chaos in Oriana's room and had taken down one of the other soldiers.

Haelia's eyes scanned the soldier's armor in the back for any chink and she found where the breast plate and the back leathers were combined. Without a second thought, she angled her dagger and forced it up, through the weak spot, the man's skin, and his kidney.

She had never killed a man before but she had no time to think about such things. She twisted the knife before dropping the man and running over the bodies that littered the hallway; the solider beneath Mather was no longer moving. The mabari was breathign heavily, a long cut along his right front shoulder. Haelia had a mabari crunch somewhere...

The young noblewoman skidded to a halt, nearly slipping on all of the blood, in the doorway of her brother's room.

Her blue eyes widened to a size that almost hurt, tears cropping up almost immediately. Her knees went weak and she would have fallen, had it not been for the doorway.

On the beautiful Orlesian rug upon which they had all stood not hours before lay the unmoving bodies of her sister-in-law and nephew.

"Dear Maker," she gasped, stepping into the room and kneeling beside the body of her Antivan sister. Oriana. Sweet, lovely Oriana. Pressing her cold hand to the woman's forehead, she felt the skin still warm. Tears poured down her cheeks, mingling with blood on the rug beside the Antivan woman's could hardly look at Oren.

Shouts from the hallway roused her and she stood, her heart pounding and blood smeared across her cheek from Oriana when she had wiped at her tears.

* * *

"I just don't understand," Haelia murmured as she and her mother, now fitted with the bow and arrow that Haelia had brought along, made their way quietly through the corridors. They were headed for the front gate, still entirely disoriented by the situation. "...Why would he do this?"

"There are some questions in this life that do not have an acceptable answer, my love," Eleanor responded, an arrow knocked and ready to fire as they crept along the flagstones.

* * *

The constant thudding of the outside soldiers against the heavy wooden pounded in Haelia's head as she and her mother found their way into the main hall. The doors were barred – the rest of Howe's men were trying to break in. This was no way out.

"Haelia!" Ser Gilmore called, motioning another knight to come and take his place at the door so that the red-head could move to meet the Teyrna and her daughter.

"Teyrna, my lady," he approached, breathing heavily. His armor was splashed casually with blood and his sword held darkening spots of reddish brown. The hall already had several dead members of Howe's house strewn about with countless trying to break in. "I am so glad to see that you are well. You will have to leave, of course – and soon. I don't know how long these doors will hold."

"There's another way out." Eleanor spoke abruptly. "It's through the cellar. I don't know where your father is, he never came to bed. Perhaps..."

"Don't worry, Mother," Haelia cut the elder Cousland off, shaking her head. "We will find him."

"We need to leave," Eleanor looked to Ser Gilmore, who nodded once.

"Ser Gilmore, you should-"

"We can buy you time, my lady." Green eyes met blue and Haelia found herself shaking.

"You can't, you-"

"Haelia," Roderick stepped forward, his sword sheathed. His gauntlets were heavy against the leather on the girl's arm. "You have to go."

"Not without-"

The knight leaned forward and silence the noble-born with his lips. He pulled her close, crushing her body against the chainmail and plate that covered his person. Haelia's arms wound behind his head, careful of the daggers that she still held. Tears burned her eyes and the kiss was over as soon as it had begun. Roderick pulled back, resting his forehead against Haelia's.

"...I likely would have never told you, my lady, but now it seems I have no choice. I have loved you for years, Haelia, and I could not live with myself if I knew that I kept you from leaving. Please, _please_ make it out alive."

Her eyes were wide as she looked up into his, her cheeks red and tear-stained. Her hands fell back to her side as Ser Gilmore stepped away. She wanted to protest, to drag him along. Instead, she cleared her throat and straightened her spine. Moving forward, she planted another light kiss on his cheek, scratchy with stubble. "You should know, too, that I love you. And I will see you again. I promise."

His eyes looked a bit misty and he blinked away the moisture, offering Haelia a sad smile. He had no hope of leaving the Castle Cousland that night "May the Maker guide your steps."

* * *

Haelia was in a daze from the moment she left the main hall, her mother and her mabari at her sides. With little more than minor wounds they were able to make it into the cellar, where the Grey Warden and her father awaited.

"Bryce! Oh, Bryce, my love," Eleanor exclaimed, dropping to her knees beside her husband. "We must go, there is no telling how quickly-"

"I do not believe I would survive the standing," Bryce coughed, his face drained of blood. Duncan stood by, most emphatically unscathed.

Haelia approached her father and knelt as well, "I have a healing poultice, Father, surely-"

Bryce shook his head, "No, pup. That won't...do. I doubt healing magic would help much either."

"But Father-"

"No buts, my child. You and your mother are to go with Duncan. He will bring you safely to Ostagar."

"I won't leave you, Bryce," Eleanor touched her husband's cheek with light fingers, trying desperately not to let her tears manifest and spill.

"I am not going to leave you two here to die!" Haelia shook her head, her hands clenching tightly around the hilts of her daggers.

"You must go, pup – someone has to tell Fergus of Howe's treachery."

"I will kill him myself," the girl murmured darkly, casting her eyes to the door they had barred behind them. There were not yet footsteps but Mather whined quietly.

"Go, Haelia," her mother said, turning over her shoulder. "Go with Duncan and _live_."

"You too, Eleanor," Bryce offered, coughing again. Bright red spots dotted his lips this time.

"I will not leave you, Bryce. I will kill every man that comes through that door. Haelia, give me a sword."

Haelia, who had gathered a sword from one of Howe's fallen men (not a weapon that she used normally as she had not trained properly yet) and offered it hilt-first to her mother, who now brandished it like the battle-maiden they both knew she had been years ago.

"Mother..Father..." The footsteps were there now, not far off. "I love you both. Howe will pay for this, I promise you."

"We love you too, very much. Never forget that," Bryce spoke with a faint voice, barely managing to shake his head. "Do not lose yourself in revenge, pup."

"I do not wish to diminish this," Duncan began, his eyes on the door. The footsteps were closer now. Too close. "...but we must leave immediately if we have any chance."

Haelia's heart broke again as she led Duncan to the hidden door, Mather in tow. They were hardly a third of the way through the passage when the crash of the door to the cellar came, followed by voices. Muffled. Lots of them.

Haelia couldn't see straight for all of her tears and she could barely breath between sobs as she led the Grey Warden far beyond the stretches of Castle Cousland's land, out into the orchard that she knew so well.

"That way is south," Haelia commented off-handedly, as if the Grey Warden needed directional help. And they began towards Ostagar, opting to stay off the well-trodden path. By foot, it would take them more than two weeks. As it so happened, they walked straight into the other day and slept little – Duncan wanted to be sure that Howe's men would not follow them, though he was under the assumption that they would not look too quickly at corpses. Still they walked well into the next day, stopping only to eat what they could find. When night came, they lay beneath the stars with the forest floor for their beds. Haelia was still completely in shock and hadn't spoken again since setting them in the right direction.

They hitched a few rides on passing caravans, mostly traders and merchants. It cut down their travel time considerably, during which Duncan made small talk by telling Haelia some stories of the Grey Wardens. She was unresponsive and ate little; Mather, too, seemed rather downtrodden. He tried to nuzzle his mistress out of her depression but to no avail.

* * *

When they finally arrived at Ostagar, the three of them were dirty and hungry. Haelia looked like a ghost of herself when they finally were brought before the king.

Cailan turned as Duncan addressed him, his eyes passing over the only surviving Cousland (Fergus was dead as well, in her mind. She held no hope.) without much notice. "Ahh! Duncan, you have returned. And with a new recruit, I-"

The king stopped, now looking at Haelia. He narrowed his eyes and leaned in a little closer before he stood back, his gauntlets clinking against the plate on his torso as he put his hands on his waist. "Haelia? Haelia Cousland? Well, Maker, we are blessed!"

Cailan had seen Haelia many times throughout her life, most recently at the celebration of her sixteenth birthday almost a year prior. On that day he had made some allusion as to making the wrong choice. Certainly Anora was a woman of great beauty and strength of mind, a wonderful (so far) leader of Ferelden. Rumors were circulating throughout the kingdom of her inability to bear a child, however. Haelia paid as little attention to the king's flirtatious remarks as she did to the slanderous ones.

"As you say, Your Majesty," Haelia spoke quietly, not looking at Cailan. She knew his smiling face, his golden hair. She knew, too, that he would be disgustingly optimistic about this battle. Duncan had expressed his thoughts on their travels, which left Haelia feeling even more unsure about her decision to leave her parents.

"I wish you would have told me who you were bringing; surely Lady Cousland deserves a better bed than-"

Haelia's fists clenched at her sides but she kept her voice steady, "The name Cousland means little now. I am to be a Grey Warden and my family is dead."

Cailan's face fell and he took a step toward the girl, "What do you mean?"

"Rendon Howe," Haelia began, her eyes dark. "Betrayed my father and murdered the entire house. Duncan, Mather, and I were the only ones to escape. Fergus and a few others had already left, after dinner, for the scouting party. Have you seen him?"

Certainly she sounded callous and cool but there was little else she could do, aside form completely falling apart again. Cailan seemed to be taking it all in, quiet for a moment as if he could not fathom what to say in response. He did not know Haelia much better than he knew most noble children and, certainly, their slight connection from what had once been a possible betrothal did not tie them together too closely but still, she was a young woman he had seen throughout his life. He held no ill will towards her or her family - in fact, he rather favored Bryce's advice and had enjoyed a drink or two with Fergus. Anora had mentioned more than once appreciating Eleanor and did not particularly dislike Haelia, either. Betrayal was not something one tolerated.

"I have not, but that does not mean much. Someone else may have seen him or perhaps they did not come through this way, to save time." He stopped and narrowed the space between them, putting his hand gently on the shoulder of the girl he had seen grow up from far away. "I promise you, Haelia, once we have settled this battle with the Darkspawn I will bring Howe to justice. You have my word as king."

Haelia blinked up at him, her eyes bluer than his gray ones and sparkling with tears. She nodded once and stood back, looking to Duncan as they began talking about the oncoming horde and what, exactly, they planned to do about it.


	3. A Beginning

**Author's Note**: Yes, it's short. (Anyone notice how five pages in Word is very short here?) It seemed like the appropriate place to end it, though. Some in-game conversation has been used here and there and this will, more likely than not, happen again. And here are some notes about continuity, canon-inity: Aldous is never mentioned as being a mage, but I wanted him to be. Cailan is meant to be around 25 but I'm going to say he's 26-27 because I would like some difference in age with Alistair, whom I see as around 22-23. I still haven't decided how I feel about Morrigan, but I imagine she looks to be 24-25, whether or not she is actually that old. Wynne is somewhere in her early-mid fifties, in my head. That's all, I think.

**Disclaimer**: Bioware owns it.

* * *

After some time discussing the upcoming battle, Duncan sent Haelia to find a man named Alistair – the name was familiar, but only vaguely so. She imagined she had met more than one in her life and so thought little of it. Aside from the fact that she was being sent on an errand to keep her out of trouble, Haelia thought little about the command at all.

Mather walked dutifully at her side, bumping her swinging hand occasionally to remind her that he was there. They passed an erected stage for the Chantry to preach, a circle of mages casting some sort of spell that Haelia had no idea where to begin to attempt an understanding, groups of warriors here and there and a small merchant's set up. Before the merchant, an older woman stood leaning against a tree with a tall wooden staff in one hand. The motherly woman offered a smile, to which Haelia had no intention of responding, and Mather took a few steps in her direction before plopping his rump down in the dirt at her feet.

"Well, hello there," the woman spoke quietly, her voice sweet as she bent a little to offer her hand for the mabari to sniff.

"His name is Mather," the younger girl spoke, approaching slowly. "I am Haelia."

"Wynne," the mage responded, offering her hand to the human this time.

"Pleased to meet you. Are you here to fight with the King?"

"After a fashion. Do you know much about magic?"

"Little. A man, Aldous, lived with my family. He was more of a scholar but he used some healing magic, when necessary. Most of what I know is from the Chant of Light."

"I have healing magic as well, so I will do less fighting. My purpose is to keep the men going more than it is to stop the Darkspawn."

"We will do better for it, I imagine," Haelia nodded her head a little before she clicked her tongue to grab Mather's attention. "It was very nice to meet you, Wynne; I've an errand to run now. I hope to see you after the battle."

The white-haired woman offered another smile before Haelia turned her back and started towards the part of the broken tower in which Duncan said she might find Alistair.

Haelia and Mather found the blond Warden engaged with another mage, this one seemingly less agreeable than the one they had just met. They approached but kept their distance, Mather pressing his hindquarters to the aged stone that remained. Haelia clasped her hands behind her back and watched with a stoic, if not slightly curious, expression.

* * *

In a flurry of robes and curses, the mage turned on his heel and brushed passed the young woman. Alistair turned to look at her with his eyebrows raised and a sideways smile tugging up one side of his lips.

"You know, one good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together."

Haelia raised an eyebrow and laughed a little. Mather stood and circled his mistress as she moved her bare hands to her leather-covered hips. "I know what you mean." His joking tone made her feel a little less ill-at-ease. It was true – the Blight brought men, women, elves, dwarves, mages, templars – everyone was fighting together to save their country, as with most wars.

"Wait, we haven't met, have we? I don't suppose you're another mage."

Haelia laughed, though there was a fair bit of familiarity in his face. She gestured to the daggers at her waist and spoke with a very minute smile. "Do most mages carry weapons? I do not believe we have met – you are Alistair, though, correct?"

He looked at her for a long moment before he straightened and shook his head. "I should have recognized you right away. I apologize."

Haelia's heart skipped a beat – did he, too, know that she was the last surviving Cousland? She didn't want everyone to recognize her – it would be easier to forget the pain if it was not constantly brought up. Alistair did not give her a chance to ask him to elaborate, however, because he thus mentioned that 'recruits' had a certain look about them.

"Terrified and wide-eyed?" Haelia laughed a little, "And don't worry, I'm not offended."

Alistair chuckled and nodded, "That's good. And yes, I'm Alistair. As the junior member of the order, I'll be accompanying you when you prepare for your Joining."

"Pleased to meet you, then, Alistair. My name is Haelia. This is Mather," she tilted her head in the direction of her canine companion, who barked once.

"Oh. You know what just occurred to me? There haven't been very many women in the Grey Wardens. I wonder why that is." His sideways smile had returned and Haelia noticed that, despite herself, she had relaxed minutely.

"Probably because we're too smart for you," Haelia responded as she would have to her brother, Fergus. The thought of Fergus distracted her, but she batted it away quickly.

"True. But if you're here, what does that make you?"

_Hopeless_, she thought. "Just one of the boys, I guess," is what she said, feigning a smile to keep the light-hearted feel of the conversation going.

Amused, Alistair turned toward the direction that Haelia had come from. Mather stood and began walking alongside his mistress as she joined Alistair.

"We had best get back to Duncan, I imagine he's eager to get things started. I'm curious, Haelia. Have you ever had a run-in with Darkspawn?"

Haelia nodded a little, "Just a few, on our way here. Duncan took most of them out before I knew what was happening."

"That is one of the reasons I'm going with you and the other two – have you met Jory or Daveth?"

She shook her head, "I met a mage, but I came mostly straightaway to find you. And what is? The reason, I mean."

"Grey Wardens...know things. You'll find out more after your Joining," he shrugged a little, his smile fading only a little. "And what? You don't want the company?"

"I look forward to traveling with you," Haelia offered, a sincere smile on her lips. She did not feel much better, but the man's demeanor made it easier for her to hate the world a little less.

* * *

Haelia's head pounded and light exploded behind her eyelids. Her stomach did flips as she lay still, trying to adjust to her surroundings. She was naked, or mostly. And warm, but not uncomfortably so. Her arm ached and so did her chest. Letting out a shaky breath, she opened her eyes.

A shack. A nice shack, but obviously something outside of a town. Her eyes scanned the room and found, eventually, the tall and dark-haired woman she had met before, while trying to recover the Grey Warden's cache. Morrigan, wasn't it? A whine called Haelia's attention to Mather, lying by the bedside on the floor. She felt a slight bit of relief.

"Ah, so you finally wake," the woman spoke as she turned from a bookshelf, putting her hands on her hips. "Your companion will be glad, he has been fretting from the moment he opened his mouth."

"My companion?"

"The blond man."

"Alistair? Oh. Where...where is everyone else?"

"Dead, I suspect."

Haelia's heart stopped briefly and she forgot to breath. Again. All dead. Why was the Maker punishing her so? "What do you mean?"

"The man that was supposed to join the King's army quit the field."

"Loghain? But _why_?" Cailan was Loghain's son-in-law and his King. Certainly he had seemed opposed to the Grey Wardens' influence, but that was no reason...

"That is a question I imagine you will have to ask him."

"How are we here?"

"Mother saved you."

Haelia couldn't even fathom how, but decided that asking was futile. It didn't matter, either. She and Alistair were alive. But to what end?

"Where is Alistair?"

"Outside with Mother. She wishes to speak with you."

Without another word, Haelia managed to pull herself out of the bed she had been laid in. Her body ached, every inch of it. Most pointedly, her head pounded and her left arm felt rather numb. Breathing was painful but she grew used to it by the time she had dressed and opened the door to exit into the Wilds.

In front of the somewhat stagnant pond stood the frame of Alistair, his shoulders dropped forward and his head hanging a little. At the noise that Haelia made clamoring out of the hut, he turned. His face looked gray, bruises forming beneath his eyes. His nose had been broken, though it was set (and healed) now. His face relaxed a little when he saw his fellow Warden approach and his breathy whisper of, "Thank the Maker you're alive," made Haelia feel awful. It should have been someone else. Duncan. Cailan. Fergus. Her mother. Her father. Roderick.

But not her.

Haelia forced a weak smile, "I am. Thanks to Morrigan's mother." She turned a little to the elder Witch of the Wilds. "Thank you. For both of us."

The white-haired, haggard-looking woman nodded only once. "Do not thank me. Without the two of you, Ferelden will be lost."

Neither of the two young people had words to respond to that. Alistair seemed lost in thought and Haelia had absolutely no idea how to feel. She had to revenge her family, right the wrongs done to them, and now? She was meant to save Ferelden?

"_How?_" she choked out, looking like a frightened deer.

The old woman laughed a little and shook her head. "Well, you are Grey Wardens, aren't you?"

"I have been a Grey Warden all of a handful of hours. What good am I?"

"I can't do it on my own," Alistair responded, giving Haelia a pleading look that made her feel very, very small. She couldn't leave him to do this, even if they would both die in the process. Better to die fighting, like her mother, than to go out like a coward. Like Howe would.

"Still. We have to...plan," Haelia shook her head a little, her body shaking with the effort of keeping her emotions in. "Those papers? The ones that Duncan had us retrieve – what do they say?"

"They're treaties," Alistair spoke after a moment, seemingly struck by the senior Grey Warden's name. "...The Dalish, dwarves, Circle of Magi."

Haelia swallowed audibly and looked from Alistair to the old woman and then to the ground. Inhaling sharply, she set her shoulders straight and looked back to her fellow Grey Warden. "Well then, I imagine it's time we called in those favors. And other Grey Wardens? Where is the nearest outpost?"

"Word was sent before the battle," Alistair shook his head, frowning. "They will send members if they are able. Hopefully they get here in time."

"We won't anticipate it," her face mirrored his and she turned to look at the woman then. "Are you certain there isn't anything we can do to repay you?"

It was then that the cracking of a twig alerted the trio of Morrigan's approach, though Mather's attention never left the older witch. He watched her intently as the rest of them moved their gaze to the dark-haired one.

"Mother, the stew is ready."

"Very well, I will have something to eat. As for you, Warden, all I ask is that you bring my daughter with you."

The suggestion caught Haelia off-guard but not so much so as it did Alistair, who could not suppress the incredulous "_What?_" that pressed passed his lips. Haelia shot him a look before she looked back to the two women.

"Are you certain?"

"But Mother, I-"

"Hush. Yes, I am certain. Her magic will be of great use to you," Morrigan's mother shook her head a little before her face turned serious. "But you must watch over her, Warden. I send with you my most precious possession."

Haelia felt Mather tense at her side and felt a the slightest chill on the back of her neck, dismissing it as a fluke. She nodded only and promised she would do everything she could to ensure Morrigan lived to see the end of the Blight, not that she imagined _she_ would.


	4. Cowards

**Author's Note**: Sorry about the delay, it's finals week. This might be kind of eh, my Alistair muse is being a little uncooperative. More to come, kids!

**Disclaimer**: Not mine. Bioware's.

* * *

They traveled relatively quickly in the direction of Lothering, which Morrigan had suggested as a good place to start their journey. It was a small enough town that Haelia doubted she would be recognized as anything but a Grey Warden and they were in sore need of supplies.

Typically, it would take about three and a half days to reach their destination. They moved faster than they might have under other circumstances and took less time their first night at resting, which left them less than half a days travel on the third day from their campsite.

Morrigan, as per usual, offered to take the first watch. Haelia took the middle as she slept little regardless, and Alistair was left with the last. Mather woke and slept without rhyme or reason, popping up to sniff about the campsite occasionally. Haelia lay curled on her bedroll – a flimsy blanket with her leather cuirass an uncomfortable pillow. Alistair was on his back across the distance that the dying fire provided, his eyes closed though he did not sleep. The night before Haelia had heard his sadness though she had never seen his tears. He had spoken little, if at all, since they had left the Wilds. Morrigan was not a particularly chatty individual, though occasionally she and Haelia would find something to speak about. The noble-born young woman had little desire to keep up conversation too, though, as her mind was weighed down heavily by the full truth of her situation.

They were, in short, not a very lively group. Fortunately, they had come across only three small groups of Darkspawn and made considerably quick work of them. Haelia was beginning to recognize that she was not so well-trained as she had been led to believe, despite what her brother had assured her was Duncan's interest in her skills. Thoughts of her futility kept her awake that second night, but only so long. She was dreadfully exhausted and fell into a fitful sleep.

A roaring in her ears jarred her, matched only by the occasional flash of a massive dragon. Then, a group of Darkspawn unlike any mass she had ever seen. She awoke, gasping for breath, and shot straight up.

Alistair was already standing closer than he had been laying, looking a little awkward as the firelight danced across one side of his body and face. Mather's head was raised from where he sat, a few feet away from Morrigan.

The man bent his knees and then knelt just off Haelia's bedroll.

"Nightmares?"

He spoke in such a way as to not be condescending. He was earnestly concerned and curious, the frown on his face betraying that he was familiar with such things.

Haelia hesitated before she nodded, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her legs in front of her. "Darkspawn and a giant dragon – was that the archdemon?"

Alistair nodded, "Most likely. That's one of the things that comes with the Joining, the dreams. It's the Taint in our blood – it's how we can sense the darkspawn. We hear the Archdemon too."

"There should be some kind of disclosure agreement," Haelia snorted and rubbed her eyes, momentarily distracted from her melancholy long enough to be frustrated (and slightly amused) by the predicament. "What else, though? You said 'one of the things'."

Alistair's face dropped a little but he shrugged and offered a sideways smile. "You know, the dreams, and..." Alistair frowned again.

"And...?"

"Well, the Taint affects everyone and everything. Wardens have a sort of resistance naturally, though we do not know why – we just know that is the only reason we live. But we don't live forever, or even like a normal person. It depends on some things, but we have two or three decades from the Joining before the Taint starts to take an effect. Assuming, of course, we don't die before then. It's called the Calling and when we experience it, we go to the Deep Roads and fight until..well, the end."

Haelia was dumbstruck. It was one thing to think you are going to die some day in the future (and probably in the next few months, attempting to save a country that didn't seem to want saving much) but to know that you had a very specific amount of time in which to do everything was something entirely else.

She couldn't say she was mad. She was, truth be told, sad. "Oh," she said with resignation. There wasn't anything she could think of to say to that. She was, simply put, overwhelmed. "Anything...anything else?"

"A ravenous hunger," Alistair spoke immediately, trying to lighten the mood, "When I first became a Warden, I ate everything in sight."

"Oh?" Haelia offered a wan smile. "Is that normal?"

"It is not for me to comment on the eating habits of a young woman," he chuckled slightly, eyebrows raised.

"What can I say, I'm a growing girl," Haelia laughed, but only slightly, before she laid her head down again. "Thank you, Alistair."

He didn't say anything but did smile a little in the darkness, his generally depressed demeanor lightened if only a little as he returned to his bedroll. Haelia did not sleep again that night, distracted by the idea of having no say in when she was going to die.

_Maker take that_, she snorted to herself. She had lived when she should have died three times in less than two months. She would not succumb to something so trivial as the Taint.

* * *

The following day, late in the afternoon, they came upon the entrance to Lothering, a part of the Imperial Highway that was being blocked by a small group of what could only be bandits.

"You've got to pay the toll," a thick man, bald of head and short of sword, spoke from beside a slightly better-looking brunette man who looked to be more of a leader.

"And what, pray tell, is the toll, _good ser_?" Haelia asked with a lifted eyebrow, her hands on her hips.

The bald man looked to the leader, who nodded. "Thirty silver."

"Oh my, thirty silver? That is quite a lot. What are you using all that money for?"

"Repairs to the Imperial Highway," the leader responded, taking half a step forward. His voice was smooth and practiced.

Haelia crossed her arms over her chest and nodded, "Oh? Is that so? You lot don't seem the like the type of people that are doing much good here."

"The crew is new," the leader's eyes narrowed a little and his hand twitched at his side.

"Well, I must apologize. We don't have that much silver to spare. A person's got to eat, you know."

"I am afraid we won't be able to let you pass then." Haelia saw the man's jaw muscles clench and unclench. His hand was moving, slowly, towards the sword at his side.

She was too quick for him, however. She had her dagger in her hand and the blade at his throat. She was thankful then for the years of pickpocketing that her parents had known nothing (or little) about. "You will let us pass, ser, or we will walk over your corpses. Moreover, we will take from you what you have taken from others. Is this understood?"

His hand moved at her side, attempting to draw his sword. She beat him to it, but was forced to move back enough to relinquish her threatening position at his throat. Alistair was at her side, sword and shield at the ready. Morrigan was casting some sort of spell that Haelia could not even comprehend, although it smelled wretched.

"Again, ser, I ask you – is this understood?"

With his sword in one hand and her dagger in the other, Haelia did not betray the fear in her heart. She had killed men at her home only when they tried to kill she or her mother. She had killed many darkspawn in the interim, but they were no longer men. Certainly the group that stood before her deserved such a fate, but who was she to decide that? Or, moreover, bestow it?

There were twice as many men standing before her than stood with her, even with Mather foaming at the mouth at her side. He snapped his jaw in warning at the bandit leader who, finally, lifted his hands in surrender.

"All right, all right. We'll give you the stuff, just let us go."

"Have your men bring it up," Haelia nodded to the chest she could see. "All of it."

And they did, especially after some prodding. Haelia knew they had more than the one chest and did not trust them to turn her back. Haelia dropped the man's sword and quickly found her own dagger, keeping her foot on the hilt of the sword. "Your men will start in the direction we came from. Once they are far enough off, I will kick your sword to you and you will follow them. Unless, of course, you have all decided to meet the Maker today."

They had not. They gave in and did as Haelia suggested and turned tail, trying to find somewhere else to survive the oncoming horde.

The Wardens, the witch, and the war dog made off with the trinkets and money that the bandits had stolen, and a necklace with an ornate amulet from a dead templar.

For that first day, Lothering was mostly uneventful. After dealing with a particularly rude merchant (which Morrigan disapproved of and, moreover, the way Haelia dealt with it was not something that the witch appreciated), the party took up in Dane's Refuge, the only inn in Lothering. There was one room, in the back end with a leaky corner and no bed. It had been, they decided, a broom closet before Dane decided he could charge for the space. Exorbitantly.

The next day, after everyone woke up from a full night's (mostly, barring nightmares) sleep, Alistair turned to the fully dressed Warden that he adventured with.

"Haelia...did you..have any plans? I thought we might want to talk about...what we plan on doing?"

The young woman was pulling her dark hair back and turned to look at the blond man, raising an eyebrow. "Me? I mean...I suppose I had thought we should go see Arl Eammon before we do much of anything else. That was what you had suggested, wasn't it?"

Alistair nodded and Morrigan spoke before he had a chance to comment.

"Why do you, the senior Warden, leave the decision-making to the person that has only been a part of your Order for a mere few days?"

Alistair's face blanked before his lips turned into a frowned, his forehead wrinkle in frustration. It was a question Haelia had asked herself a few times over the last several days, wondering why it seemed that he deferred to her in almost everything. She knew nothing of darkspawn and little of war outside of history books. Politics her father had taught her about, but not so much as to go against a country that had decided the Grey Wardens were to be outlawed.

"I...I don't know."

"We are more democratic than that," Haelia chimed in, obviously aware of how uncomfortable Morrigan had made Alistair. "All three of us make suggestions, do we not?"

"You have yet to ask me what I think about your plan."

"Well, then, Morrigan – what do _you_ think we should do?"

"Go after Loghain. It is best to confront one's enemies head-on."

"The three of us-"

Mather barked in frustration at Alistair before he waved off the dog, "..._four_ of us couldn't defeat all of his army and make it to him in one piece."

"She _asked_ me what I thought."

"After your prompting."

"She suggested that we are all equal partners in this."

"If she's going to travel with us, she has the right to offer input," Haelia shrugged a little, moving to the door so that they could vacate the room and begin their day. "But I do agree with Alistair; we are far too unprepared. And, also, we know so little of what is actually going on it would be a fool's errand to go after Loghain. He must, I imagine, have a reason – however wrong it is. Everyone does." _Even Howe_. "Don't give me that look Alistair. I am by no means suggesting that he should not pay for the crimes he has committed – cowardice is not something one takes lightly in a time of war, that much I do know."

"_He killed Duncan_."

"Actually-"

"Morrigan," Haelia shot the other woman a look, shaking her head a little. Alistair's face was red, furious with the words he was hearing. Haelia looked to him again and frowned a little. "Alistair, please. I am in no way saying that Loghain was right in his choice. You have to know that. But you also need to know that attacking him because of our personal feelings isn't going to save Ferelden."

The blond man didn't say another word before he took up his sword and shield and left the room. Haelia groaned and covered her face with her hand.

"You should be glad," Morrigan spoke as she picked up her staff, "this may teach him something about humanity that he obviously hasn't learned before."

"Duncan _just_ died," Haelia frowned at Morrigan as Mather moved to the door, Haelia standing in the doorway as she looked after her fellow Grey Warden. "I know...know what he is feeling," she sighed, one hand on the doorframe. Alistair was among the throng in the main hall of the inn, something she could see from her vantage point on the second floor, tucked a little back into the corner. Mather growled. "More poignantly than either of you know. I just wish he could-"

Swords were being drawn. Alistair was in the middle of it, his sword still sheathed at his waist. A redhead, a Chantry sister if her robes told the truth, was holding her hands up, standing in front of him.

"...Maker's blood," Haelia grunted and Mather took off, the witch and the rogue not too far behind.


End file.
